Posted by Wayne on November 12, 2000 at 10:58:18:
In Reply to: Re: I agree wholeheartedly about the hoses posted by Frank on November 12, 2000 at 10:24:37:
The only real teaching is in taking slow, full breaths. There is also discussion/written/video materials about dead air spaces and stuff like that so they know not to pant. Basically they are taught to stay warm, become comfortable underwater and the air will take care of itself.
I started being a skip breather way back when and I seem to think it was in my original O/W training. This is definately NOT taught by PADI. I can tell when I fall back into it because I get CO2 headaches after the dive (although not when diving with nitrox).
The problem with students is that they are so excited being in the cold water surrounded by fish. Some of them can make their regulators scream at 30 fsw! Amazing how loud a class of big guys can be! After diving with lots of newbies, I see that the relaxation/air consumption seems to come in about 10 dives. At that time they also start reducing weight as they are carrying less-full lungs compared to when they over-breathed.
That all being said, I have dove with total newbies that use very little air and seem totally relaxed fromt he start. And some oldsters who really use a ton of air. All depends of how comfortable they are being underwater on a given dive.
As for me, I tend to do everything by air consumption. I navagate and plan dives based on air. Something like: "..we will drop to 85 feet, swim generally toward the bow until the first of us hits 1500, they we will move up to the upper levels and return to the line when we have about 100 psi for the ascent and safety stop -- if we have air..." JUST KIDDING! But I do my planning by air rather than time in shallow diving -- and mostly I dive less than 75 feet.
Wayne